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Supervision

This Policy was developed to clarify the requirements of clinical Supervision including qualifications, roles, and responsibilities of the Supervisee (physician being supervised) and the Supervisor. The Council may direct Supervision when a physician does not meet the requirements or qualifications for General registration, a change in scope of practice, re-entering practice after prolonged absence or when an assessment or investigation of a physician’s practice identifies patient safety concerns and/or the need for practice improvement.

The period of supervision is for a minimum of 12 months unless referred to the Registrar for further review and consideration.

The nature and extent of Supervision shall be commensurate to risks inherent in the supervisee’s practice. For additional clarity: specialties where patient morbidity/mortality can depend on moment-to-moment decisions (e.g., anesthesia, emergency medicine and surgery) require closer supervision than lower risk specialties.

Supervisor Qualifications/ Responsibilities

  • Must have a General or Provisional registration in good standing, with no conditions or supervision and free of any disciplinary or capacity issues.
  • If not Royal College or CCFP certified, must have a letter of recommendation from the Medical Director.
  • Must be acceptable to both Health PEI and the Registrar.
  • The Supervisor can only supervise a maximum of 2 physicians at one time.
  • Must sign the College Supervisor Agreement.
  • Must be engaged in a similar scope of practice and be in a similar current practice situation and environment as that in which the Supervisee will be practicing.
  • Must be experienced in the system, with a minimum of 1 year of practice in PEI.
  • Must recognize the importance of his or her need to demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills, knowledge and understanding of cultural differences, and values and beliefs that affect performance in a Canadian environment.
  • Must supervise the quality of care and regularly review and discuss patient encounters/records with the Supervisee, ensuring care meets the expected standard of care.
  • Must arrange regular meetings with Supervisee, to discuss identified strengths and weaknesses, and make recommendations for practice improvement and ongoing CME/CPD.
  • Must assess and report quarterly, and if otherwise necessary, to the College office on the accompanying Supervisor Report Forms.
  • Must review charts, discuss with colleagues, other health professionals, staff and/or patients on a regular basis, and utilize these inputs in completing his/her reports.
  • Must maintain appropriate boundaries with the Supervisee, respecting the role as an agent of the Council.
  • Must be an unbiased reporter of the observations of the Supervisee’s practice.
  • Must make recommendations to the Council regarding the required supervision based upon the performance of the Supervisee.
  • Must be available to the Supervisee.
  • Must provide feedback to the Supervisee on a regular basis of their performance in an unbiased and constructive manner and allow opportunities for response by the Supervisee.
  • Must immediately report to the Registrar any threats to public safety.
  • Must meet with Council, or with its committees, if requested.
  • Must notify the College if unable to provide supervision, (due to illness, CPD leave or vacation) and arrange for another suitable colleague, acceptable to Health PEI and the Registrar, to provide supervision because of his or her absence for a short period of time.
  • Must notify the College in writing of the intention to withdraw supervision. (This is a serious decision, as upon withdrawal of supervision, the license of the supervisee is no longer valid unless another supervisor is appointed.

Supervisee Responsibilities

  • Must sign the College Supervisee agreement.
  • Must agree to meet with the Supervisor, College staff and/or Council as required.
  • Must make available to the Supervisor, any records which he or she requires to effectively carry out the defined supervision.
  • Must agree with the release of any information considered relevant by the Supervisor, to the College staff or Council.
  • Must agree to any change in supervision and other recommendations as directed by Council/Registrar.
  • Must notify the Supervisor and College staff if unable to meet with the Supervisor for any period of time due to illness, CPD leave, vacation or any other reason.
  • Is the most responsible physician.
  • Give consent, where deemed necessary by the Supervisor or College, for the conduct of interviews with colleagues or patients.
  • Is motivated and takes responsibility for improvement.
  • Is open, honest, and collegial with colleagues and the Supervisor.
  • Supports the Supervisor in fulfilling their obligations, including the provision of timely reports to the College.

Document History

Approval Date: February 28, 2022

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